Best Apple Watch games

Apple Watch is cool — just plain cool. There are myriad things that we can now do by tapping the gorgeous device on our wrists, and while productivity is the name of the game, a little fun once in a while never hurt anyone!

Let's be real: You're not gonna find a fully immersive gaming experience for Apple Watch, but you will find some excellent time wasters.

Here are the best games you can play on your Apple Watch!

Note: You'll have to download all of these on your iPhone first, and in many cases, you'll have to play a bit or sign in/open them on your iPhone before you can play on your Apple Watch.

Pokémon Go!

Pokémon Go coming to Apple Watch is kismet. It somehow makes a mobile game even more mobile, allowing you to hatch eggs, get notifications about nearby Pokémon, log each play session as a workout, spin PokéStops for items, and more — all without having to pull your phone out of your pocket.

Pokémon Go for Apple Watch isn't a self-sufficient game but more a companion to the iPhone app. When you get notifications for Pokémon (full-screen notifications at that!), things will be handed off to your iPhone, where you can catch and manage your Pokémon like normal.

If you're serious about Pokémon Go or were hesitant to get in on the fun, there's never been a better time!

Pocket Bandit

Although it's a rather simple game, Pocket Bandit does what a lot of other Apple Watch games don't; use the hardware in a memorable way.

You're a thief who's always on the prowl for the next jewel, gold, gemstone, or top secret file that you can pry from the security of a safe. The gameplay is simple, you need to figure out the combination of each safe (usually two or three numbers) before the time runs out and the cops catch you. You're always trying to beat your high score — calculated by how much money you steal — so open as many safes as you can. Some of the vaults you need to crack even have special anti-theft devices attached to them that you'll need to avoid.

The best part of Pocket Bandit is its use of the Digital Crown. You need to rotate the Digital Crown around to dial the number of the safe. When you get close to the right number, you'll feel your Apple Watch vibrate. With the haptic feedback provided by the Apple Watch, it really makes you feel like you are turning a dial or lock of some kind.

Lifeline

If you're looking for something to pass the time and want something kinda creepy cool, then check out Lifeline. You'll speak with stranded astronaut and try to unravel his predicament and secrets by choosing your responses to everything he says.

You'll have to connect to the app on your iPhone first, but once you do, you'll start to receive the messages on your Apple Watch, tapping each of your responses as you delve deeper into the mystery and try to help Taylor survive by giving him instructions to explore marooned ships and tell him which way to travel.

This is the first in a series of great text adventures from developer 3 Minute Games. Check 'em out!

Rules!

Rules! is a fantastic brain teaser app that has you, well, following rules. Things will start off simple, like "Tap the unicorn", so you'll have to tap the unicorn tile. The next round will add a rule, which you'll have to follow, and it'll then say "Follow rule 1", so you'll have to tap the unicorns again. As you progress, more rules are added, so you have to think about the rule of the moment while trying to remember all the other rules in succession.

If you're looking for fun, colorful timewaster that'll give your brain a hell of a workout, then I highly recommend Rules!

Trivia Crack

Like trivia? Like competitive trivia even better? Good. Trivia Crack is just that.

In a sort of Trivial Pursuit-style game, you play random people around the world in an effort to collect all the game characters, each representing a different category. Each turn, you'll spin the wheel, which will land on a character, forcing you to answer a question based on that category. It could be history, geography, entertainment, sports, art, or science.

You'll answer questions until you get one wrong, so you could very well running the board and increasing your points total. You can also challenge your opponents in head-to-head battles of wits or chat with your friends and challenge them to games of mental fortitude.

If you're a trivia buff, then definitely check this one out. Just don't expect a game for PhDs — most of the questions are fairly simple, with the odd curveball tossed in for good measure.

Field Day

If you're a fan of Farmville or Hay Day, then you'll have a field day with this one (OMG DID YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE?!). In Field Day, you buy plots of land with the coins you accumulate from selling your produce. You'll grow veggies and sell them, while unlocking new crops and livestock, fulfilling orders, and growing your farm as you participate in various events.

One of the coolest features of Field Day is its integration of the Digital Crown, which you use to scroll up and down your farm to view orders, your crops, and your farmhouse. The Postman will randomly show up to give you missions, which you'll need to complete on your iPhone, so this game is perfect for quick 15-second blasts, as well as somewhat longer play sessions when you have the time.

Letter Zap

I love word games, and if you love word games too, then you'll dig Letter Zap. It's a quick time-waster that you can play in short bursts. All you're trying to do is make a word out of the given letters, of which there will be three to six.

You have to use all the letters you're given and you're trying to make as many words as possible in the time allotted. If a race against the clock isn't what you're after, then try Zen Mode, where you can form unlimited words with no time limit. Heartbeat Mode has you playing against your own heart rate (you'll have to give Letter Zap access to your Health data on your iPhone). The higher your heart rate, the more time you have to make words.

This is an excellent word game with great animations on the Apple Watch. Definitely not to be missed!

Snappy Word

Snappy Word is a lot like Letter Zap but with a simpler interface and only four letters at a time. Play to make as many words as you can in 30 seconds or pick up your phone and play the same way or play until you make a mistake, with no time limit. There's also an iMessage app that lets you challenge friends to unscramble words.

Every time a game ends, you'll get kicked out of the app on your Apple Watch so that it can refresh (I guess?). If you're looking for another fun, wordy time-waster, Snappy Word is great, and it's free.

Box Pop

Box Pop is a little difficult to wrap your head around at first, but once you get it, it's fun on the bun. You get green boxes, and the goal is to pop all the red boxes by moving your green boxes in an L shape, like a knight in chess. In the iPhone version, you'll progress through different sizes of grids, but on the Apple Watch, you're limited to the size of the face.

This game is perfect for quick bursts, like while you're on a long elevator ride or have a minute or two before a meeting. This is a great puzzle game and brain workout that's perfect for keeping your mind sharp and boredom at bay.

Runeblade

Are you an RPG fan? Would you believe you can get a fairly full RPG experience on your wrist? I never would've thought so either, but Runeblade is a wildly fun continuous slasher where you fight enemy after enemy, accruing points so that you can upgrade your runes and cast new spells upon them to lengthen your attack duration, raise damage, and more.

The enemies are fun and weird-looking, which makes this game extra special (you encounter the strangest old dude early on — you'll know him when you see him).

The iPhone app is a little more involved, with more animations and stuff, but we're talking about Apple Watch, and if you're looking for a full-color, animated, hackin' and slashin' good time, then definitely check out Runeblade. It's perfect in short bursts and addictive enough that it'll keep you on the toilet long after you're finished with your business.

Tiny Armies

Wrist-based conquest has never been so fun. Tiny Armies is a fast-paced game that makes you swipe to move your units and take over your enemy's territory. You'll encounter lakes, mountains, and forests as obstacles, and gameplay is in quick bouts, perfect for the Apple Watch. You can play alone, head-to-head with your friends, or with anyone in the world via iMessage.

Komrad

Komrad is an interactive fiction game in which you chat with a Soviet A.I. from 1985. The A.I. has been training in secret for 30 years and still thinks the Cold War is raging. If you're at all interested in casually playing through a cryptic tale of mystery and potential nuclear disaster, then Komrad should keep you occupied as you carefully choose your responses so as not to destroy the entire world.